Rivalry, Take II - Recollection
by I.W.P-chan
Summary: ShuAke Confidant Week Day 8: Acceptance. Goro and Ren spend some time together in Goro's apartment after Shido's arrest, and Goro has some things to tell Ren about the past couple of years.


Summary: ShuAke Confidant Week Day 8: Acceptance. Goro and Ren spend some time together in Goro's apartment after Shido's arrest, and Goro has some things to tell Ren about the past couple of years.

 _Note: These two still like to talk. And still horny. Welp._

 **Warnings: Goro Shares His Experiences Of The Past (Anger Included), Ren Being A Terrible Tease.**

 **Disclaimer:** Don't own P5.

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Ren climbed over Goro to settle himself down on the bed between Goro and the wall (less risk of getting accidentally kicked off the bed during the night), and Goro immediately wrapped his arms around Ren's waist, hands slipping under Ren's shirt and fingers idly tracing circles on Ren's hips. In response, Ren entangled his legs with Goro's and encircled Goro's neck with his arms.

Outside, it was lightly snowing, and the city was still alive with the energy of the people milling about, celebrating Christmas Eve, not letting Shido's very public arrest right before the elections put a damper on their mood.

Goro hummed sleepily, pressing his face into Ren's stomach.

"Sleeping already?" Ren asked teasingly, "And I thought 'the night is still young' as you said."

"I'm not sleeping yet," Goro mumbled before clearing his throat, "I wanted to talk to you. About many things. Things I delayed talking to you about."

Ren blinked in shock, "Really?"

"Yes. I know you told me, back when we were working with Niijima to take Shido down, that you being ready to tell me, and you telling me about yourself didn't mean that I had to do the same. I'm not doing this out of obligation. I'm doing this because I want to, because I'm ready. It took a while, but I'm ready now."

Ren remained silent, content to let Goro talk.

"Remember your first heist? That was my first heist as well. You probably figured it out back then, it would explain the way you acted towards me, but I attended to see if being known on the phantom thief scene would help me in my plans." Goro grew silent, tightening his hold on Ren.

"Shido Masayoshi is my father," Goro declared, "And I wanted to take him down as revenge for what he did to me and my mother. At first, I didn't know what to do, but then I found out about the Metaverse, and awakened Loki. My plans at the time consisted of using the Metaverse to gain enough fame and influence to approach Shido, and offer him my abilities to help him rise in power."

Ren blinked in shock, and Goro plowed on, as if afraid Ren was going to stop him if he stopped talking for even a second.

"And then at the peak of his power, I'd tell him about my real identity, and expose him, to throw him off his high horse and make him suffer just like I did. But then I met you, and my plans changed. Like I said, I first attended because I wanted to see if helping with phantom thief cases will help boost my reputation so that I can approach Shido. But then you tied me up and threw me in a closet for cleaning supplies and ignored me for the rest of the heist, like I was trash staining your perfectly tidy room, _trash that you threw away into the bin to be forgotten about._ "

Ren winced.

"I was angry. I had plans, and I had goals, and I was working on my public persona as a pleasant, mature detective, and it all was very important to me, but I couldn't control my anger. How dare you be so dismissive of me like that? I was too mad to care at the time, so I attended your next heist, and you taped me to the wall _and ignored me again_."

Ren cringed, wishing he could disappear into thin air in that moment.

"So, I got back up again and again, and attended heist after heist. I couldn't just let you escape after you humiliated me, time after time. And then I got invested." Seemingly finding it a good point to comfortably stop, Goro pressed his face even more into Ren's stomach. Ren took the chance to card his fingers through the hair at the back of Goro's head, combing it.

Few minutes passed in silence before Goro moved again, raising his head to look at Ren, "That was when I awakened to Robin Hood, and the clothes I wore in the Metaverse changed. But that was when… That Heist happened. When you almost fell. The heist after which you disappeared. For the first time."

Ren opened his mouth to apologize, but Goro shushed him, "Shh. I get it now. You needed the break; you were running yourself ragged, all because of me. Don't try to tell me otherwise, I have eyes and a brain; I can see and realize that a great majority of the heists before your break didn't have any target worth much to you. Even the targets you made away with during those heists, you returned them. You kept going because of the chase."

Goro cleared his throat, dark pink flaring on his cheeks, "Well, I get it now. Back then I didn't. And my anger reignited. But then, I had a clearer head. I realized I had gained a reputation just as I'd hoped to benefit when I first attended. I realized I could use heists to my own benefits. So I redirected my attention towards other phantom thieves, and then…"

"You started striking deals," Ren murmured.

"Yes. Deals, favors, I'd let the thieves go in exchange for help in gathering information about Shido, gathering evidence against him, so I can take him down in the future. And then you were back. I was still mad, but I was also relieved. Well, until you disappeared again, but in a more permanent fashion."

Goro stared at the wall behind Ren, eyes glazed over, "But then I met you again, and at the time it was an absolutely ridiculous coincidence that I'd meet someone who looks so much like you it fucking hurt. I couldn't let you go, not again. Even if I wasn't sure if you were you back then. I wasn't about to let it happen again, I wouldn't have been able to take it."

Ren inhaled deeply, and Goro refocused on him, "By the time you were put on probation and sent here, I was mostly sure you were you, I just didn't want to believe in it until you confirmed it for me, and I mostly understood why you did what you did." Goro blinked thoughtfully, "I guess that's part of the reason I didn't go on a murder spree when I heard you were arrested."

Ren chuckled, hysteria threatening to slip into his voice, "You were just furious instead of furious _and_ murderous?"

"Well, yes." Goro shuffled the two of them around so that Ren was on his back while Goro kneeled over him, "I mellowed out a bit throughout the year. And I had a trail for you! I managed to track you down! You didn't disappear to someplace where I couldn't even begin to track you to reach it! And you didn't even try to run away from me! You just continued on like usual, not surprised that I found you." Goro's eyes stared intently at Ren, who had to resist the urge to swallow thickly at the intensity of it; Goro looked ready to help himself to Ren and not let go until he'd satisfied himself, and ruined Ren for anyone else.

(And frankly, Ren wouldn't even mind it.)

Goro lowered himself down slowly, arms framing Ren's head, faces inches from each other, and chests pressed together.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Goro whispered, and Ren's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Like what?" He whispered, voice coming out hoarse, and Goro's eyes glinted. He brought one of his hands close to Ren's face and cupped his cheek, thumb trailing over his lower lip. Ren had to use every ounce of power in his being not to let his tongue dart out and lick the digit, or better yet, take it into his mouth and suck it, just to give Goro an idea of which direction he wanted their night together to take.

Goro chuckled, voice thick, "You terrible tease, you know I can't resist you." He removed his thumb to stroke Ren's cheek and pressed their lips together into a kiss. Ren reached around to Goro's back, slipping his hands under Goro's shirt and splaying them against the skin directly.

Goro pulled back slightly, "Are you sure?"

"Tsk. You don't want us to celebrate Shido's arrest?"

Goro narrowed his eyes, "Don't connect this to Shido or his arrest, please, because then I'd be tempted to try out ruining his desk with some… _quality time._ "

Ren wiggled his eyebrows, "I like the way you think."

Goro huffed in fond amusement, "You're incorrigible."

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End

And then they [wiggles eyebrows suggestively]


End file.
